Why?
by suburbs
Summary: Nick asks Macy a question. JONAS story.
1. Why?

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: This is a drabble response to a prompt and character request from AHigherOctave over in the One Hundred and One Prompts in Camp Rock. The prompt was #80 'Why' and the characters suggested were Macy and Nick. If you are looking for a bit of inspiration, it is a great list. And you don't have to write a Camp Rock story (obviously) to participate._

Nick stared across the cafeteria at Macy, who was sprawled across the table sound asleep, gently snoring with a small trail of drool running down her face. Even all the usual lunchtime noise didn't seem to be disturbing her sleep. He turned and asked Stella, "Why is Macy taking a nap at school?"

Stella sounded exasperated, "Because she stayed up all night standing outside the box office and spent all her savings so she could get the best tickets possible to the next JONAS concert."

"Please tell me you're joking," Nick pleaded.

Stella shook her head, "I wish I was. Go ask her yourself if you don't believe me."

Nick crossed the room and gently tapped the sleeping girl. Macy began to stir and finally opened her eyes, giving Nick a sleepy smile. "Hi Nick."

Nick sat down next to her. "Hi Macy. So Stella told me you were up late last night."

Macy's face lit up. "I was. I was the first one in line this morning when the JONAS tickets went on sale."

Nick asked in confusion. "Why?"

Macy looked at him like he was insane. "I told you I was you're number one fan. And I read somewhere that they save the best tickets to sell at the box office. I can't wait; it's going to be awesome!"

Nick shook his head. "No, I mean why did you go buy the tickets? Why didn't you just ask us for tickets and back stage passes?"

"I would never do that, Nick," Macy said indignantly.

"Why not?" Nick asked. He was pretty sure that Macy considered the brothers to be friends. He couldn't imagine why she wouldn't just ask them for tickets.

"Because you're my friend, and I would never want you to think I was using you." Macy explained simply.

At that moment, Nick really saw Macy for the first time, as more than just a fan or an acquaintance or a friend of Stella's.

Nick looked her right in the eyes, "I'm giving you backstage passes, okay?"

"You don't have to, Nick. I'm just excited to see the show." Macy insisted.

"I know I don't have to, Macy, but I want to. I want to see you after the show." Nick replied honestly, smiling at her.

As Macy blushed at his comment, Nick couldn't help but think she looked adorable, and he wondered why he had never noticed her before.


	2. Camera

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: LaPaige challenged me to write a Nate story using the prompt 'camera" from her 101 Writing Prompts Forum, but she was nice enough to let me change it to Nick so I could do a second chapter of this story instead. It took me so long to get around to it that she has probably forgotten about it already. Sorry about that! I tried to find a character name for Big Rob on the show, but the Disney website calls him 'Big Man' (which I refuse to use) and IMDB was strangely silent on the issue. So he remains nameless in the story. _

_Dedication: For Paige._

Standing backstage, Nick craned his neck looking for Macy. The concert had finished fifteen minutes ago, and he had expected the brunette to rush backstage to meet them. He had even given her a map of the arena to make sure she could find them after the show. What was taking so long?

Stella gave him a knowing look. "Relax. She's coming."

He nodded but went back to scanning the backstage area for her, grinning when he finally saw Macy bounding towards them, a camera clutched in one hand and a glossy tour program in the other.

"Oh, my goodness! You guys were amazing!" She gushed, her face flushed and her hair disheveled most likely from dancing. Nick thought she looked adorable.

"What's the camera for?" Stella asked curiously.

"So I can take photos for my JONAS scrapbook, of course."

"Creepy," Joe said in a sing-song voice.

Nick watched Macy's face fall, and he wanted to kill his brother. Why couldn't he just let her enjoy the moment? They all knew she had been trying really hard to ease up on the fan girl stuff. Stella took care of Joe for him, though, elbowing the middle brother in the ribs.

Ignoring Joe's gasp of pain, Nick focused on Macy. "Do you want me to get someone to take a picture of all of us?"

"No, that's okay," Macy said uncertainly, he eyes flitting to Joe.

"We should take one," Nick insisted. "Even if you don't want one, I do." He motioned to the band's imposing bodyguard, "Can you come take a picture of us?"

Stella took the camera out of Macy's hand and held it out to the bodyguard. Before she had a chance to protest, Nick motioned for Kevin and Joe to move closer and threw his arm around Macy's shoulder. He could feel the tension in her body and noticed that her natural smile still hadn't returned, so he leaned over and whispered, "Do you want me to sign your program later?"

Macy laughed, obviously caught off-guard by the question. After a few photos, the group broke apart, but Nick kept his arm around Macy and used it to guide her off to the side.

"So we have to go do a meet and greet with the fans who won some contest. Do you want to stay and hang out after?"

"I don't think I can." Macy replied, looking down at her watch. "I'm already dangerously close to my curfew as it is."

"Can't you call your mom and get an extension or something?"

Macy laughed. "She's still not happy I stayed up all night to get the ticket in the first place; I don't want to push it. And it's not like I won't see you at school tomorrow. Go do your meet and greet. I know from experience that the fans can get scary if you make them wait."

Turning to walk away, she waved goodbye to Kevin, Joe and Stella. Nick couldn't explain why he felt so disappointed that she was leaving already. He knew he would see her in a few hours, but for some reason he had really wanted to make this concert memorable for her. He wasn't sure if it was because she had shown so much respect for their friendship, something that nobody other than Stella had done for him, or if it was something else. Regardless, when he had pictured the concert, this was not how he had imagined it ending.

"Wait!"

Macy turned and looked questioningly back at Nick. He flushed a little because he really had no reason to keep her there. Glancing down at her hands, inspiration hit.

"I forgot to sign your program," he blurted out.

"I thought you were joking."

"Of course not. No backstage experience is complete without an autograph. I'll hurry so you won't be late."

Shrugging, Macy walked back to Nick and handed her program to him. Flipping it open to a photo of him on the drums, he pulled out one of the Sharpies he had on hand for the meet and greet and wrote, "To Macy from your number one fan, Nick Lucas."

Her eyes sparkled happily when she read the message. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome."

They stood staring at each other for a moment both unsure what to do next. Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before hurrying out of the room. Nick stood frozen in shock, a goofy grin on his face.

"Damn," Joe exclaimed, smirking at his younger brother. "There's never a camera around when you need one."


	3. Cheesy

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: This is short and lame and Macy isn't even in it, but I wanted to get something down. I will probably do a few more chapters to round this up. Thank you to PurpleAngel87 for sending me a prompt for this chapter (cheesy)._

Nick was pretty sure Macy was avoiding him; there was no other explanation. Her locker was only a few down from his, and he usually saw her every passing period; but in the three days since the concert, he hadn't seen more than a fleeting glimpse of her. So he had come to the conclusion that she was purposely avoiding him – he just had no idea why. He thought things had gone pretty well that night. Sure, Joe had been an idiot, but everyone was pretty used to that by now. And for some reason she had kissed him.

Nick sighed, opened his locker and grabbed his history book.

"Hello, little brother of mine."

Without turning to look at the speaker, he replied. "What do you want, Joe?"

Joe threw an arm around his brother's shoulder. "What do you mean what do I want?" He said indignantly. "Can't a guy just want to say hello to his own brother?"

"What do you want?" Nick repeated dryly.

"Kev and I have a bet with Stella, and we need to see the inside of your locker."

"Be my guest," Nick said, stepping away from the half-open door.

Joe reached out and opened the locker before turning to Kevin. "No stalkerish wallpaper. No flowers. No scraps of cheesy love songs."

The two older Lucas brothers high-fived before saying, "We win!"

"I'm gonna go find Stella!" Joe announced before turning and racing down the hallway.

Nick stared after his brother before turning to Kevin. "What was that about?"

"Stella thought you had a crush on Macy."

"And you couldn't have just asked me?"

Kevin shrugged. "We've found the locker test is more reliable."

Nick shook his head. "No crush," he said firmly.

And it was true. Nick knew how a crush felt – the obsessive thinking about a girl, the emotional roller coaster, the uncontrollable urge to scribble love songs on every available scrap of paper. That wasn't what he was feeling. The problem was that he couldn't define how he felt about Macy, and he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be able to figure it out if she kept avoiding him.

Closing his locker, he turned and headed towards his next class, so deep in thought that he forgot to say goodbye to his brother. He knew that he needed to find some way to get Macy to talk to him, and he was pretty sure he knew who to ask for help.

He found her later that day sitting at a bench outside, looking over her Spanish note cards.

"Hey, Stella," he said as he sat down next to her. "Macy's avoiding me, isn't she"?

"Yes," his friend replied without looking up from her notes.

Nick waited for her to continue, but Stella just sat there mumbling Spanish phrases to herself. Finally he blurted out, "Why?"

"Cause she kissed you on the cheek, and she's embarrassed." Stella turned and looked at Nick. "The actual explanation was longer and a lot more repetitive than that, so I'll spare you the details."

"Thank you," Nick said sincerely.

"No problem. I try to look out for you."

"I know, and I really do appreciate it."

Stella sighed before asking, "So you don't have a crush on Macy, huh?"

"I think Macy's great, Stell, and I'd like to get to know her better. But I don't have a crush on her."

"Are you positive? No cheesy love songs at all? I was so sure when I saw you two together at the concert that something was going on."

Nick looked hurt. "Why do people keep calling them cheesy? I thought my love songs were pretty good."

"They are," Stella assured him. "Girls like cheese."

"Whatever," he dismissed. "Can you just get Macy to talk to me again?"

Stella looked amused. "Have you even tried to talk to her?"

"I can't find her," he said, clearly frustrated. "It's like she's some sort of super-spy."

Stella nodded. "It turns out her JONAS obsession was actually useful for something. She memorized all three of your schedules when you first got here, so she was able to create a Nick-free daily plan."

"Great," he groaned.

"But…" Stella added. "She won't expect to see you after school. She has volleyball practice today, and she should be done about 4:30."

"4:30, huh?"

Stella nodded. "Outside the girls' locker room."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Cause that isn't creepy at all."

"Do you want to talk to her or not?" Stella asked.

"Fine. But this better work."

"I'm sure it will," Stella said patting him on the shoulder.

Nick sat wondering why exactly it was so important to him that Macy talk to him again. A few months ago, he would have been relieved, excited even, if she had just disappeared. But now he missed her.

"I can't believe I lost the bet," Stella said, breaking his train of thought.

"Oh, yeah," Nick said. "What do you have to do?"

Stella shuttered, "I have to show up at the next JONAS event in last year's outfit."

Nick didn't know what to say. Only Stella and Joe would make a bet like that. How did they not see they were made for each other?


	4. Pick Up Lines

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS or Sonny with a Chance._

_A/N: I know that this story is crawling forward in the romance department, but it seemed necessary when I was writing it. And a special thanks to MissNata13 for sending me the prompt for this chapter (pick up lines). I used Portyln to avoid putting the name of a real celebrity in the story (paranoid, much?)._

Nick stood outside the girls' locker room, casually leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He had nodded to all the members of the volleyball team as they exited, hoping that he would look like he belonged there and not like a creepy pervert. So far it seemed to be working, except for the fact that he still hadn't seen Macy.

His eyes narrowed for a moment. This had better not have been one of Stella's jokes. Just as he was considering giving up and going home, the locker room door opened to reveal Macy, lugging a massive duffle bag.

He immediately perked up. "Hi, Macy."

She squeaked, dropping her bag in surprise. "Oh! Hi, Nick."

Her eyes darted around nervously. She picked up her bag and gulped. "You know what? I forgot something inside."

She turned and put her hand on the door.

"Just so you know. I'll still be here when you get back."

Her shoulders slumped, and she turned to look over at Nick. "Why? Can't you just let me go on avoiding you?" She pleaded. "I would think you'd be excited to get rid of the weird, spastic fan girl."

"What if I like the weird, spastic fan girl?"

Macy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, I can do without the weird, spastic fan girl," Nick admitted. "But I sorta miss my friend Macy, so it's worth putting up with your occasional fan girl moments."

"But I kissed you," Macy stated with a tinge of horror to her voice.

"On the cheek, Mace. It wasn't that big of a deal," he insisted.

"Maybe not to you," Macy replied. "But it was horrifyingly embarrassing to me."

"You still talked to Joe after you tore off most of his clothes in the middle of the hallway. Why is this different?"

Macy looked thoughtful. "You're right. I should just avoid all of you!"

Nick sighed, racking his brains to come up with some way to make her understand that it wasn't important. Everyone did embarrassing things. He considered just kissing her full on, which would make her little peck on the cheek pale in comparison, but that didn't seem like a great way to get her friendship back. And that would probably create more problems than it would fix. Instead he settled on sharing a truly humiliating moment with her.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I hit on Portlyn from Mackenzie Falls?"

"Nick!" Macy exclaimed. "Isn't she like twenty-five?"

Nick flushed a brick-red before mumbling. "I can't help it. I have a thing for brunettes."

He was looking down and missed seeing Macy's eyes widen in shock as one hand shot to her hair. Recovering quickly, she asked, "So what happened?"

Her question reminded Nick why he was sharing the story in the first place. "Well, Joe had just gotten done telling me how much girls like cheesy pick up lines…"

"Please tell me you didn't listen to him," Macy groaned.

He nodded, taking the duffle bag from her hand and turning to walk towards the parking lot as he continued his story, "I was young and stupid and extremely inexperienced with girls. So I walked up to her and used an old classic, the library card line."

Macy winced. "How'd that work out for you?"

"She pinched my cheeks and told me I was adorable. Then she went and hooked up with some thirty year old producer."

"Ouch!"

"Yeah. Not my best night." Nick looked thoughtful, "Come to think of it, I still owe Joe for that one."

As the two of them reached the parking lot, Macy stopped and asked, "That's a great story, but why exactly are you sharing it with me?"

"Because that was truly, horrifyingly humiliating. What you did was cute – sweet even. See the difference?"

"I guess," she answered, still sounding a little doubtful.

"Thank you! So can we just forget about it and move on? Please?" Nick gave her his famous puppy-dog eyes.

Macy smiled shyly at him. "Okay."

"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Are you hungry? Do you wanna go grab something to eat?"

"I'm starving! Coach really worked us hard today." Macy replied. "But can you go to a restaurant? Won't you get mobbed like at my mom's store?"

"My dad knows the owner of the pizzeria on Main. If we call ahead, he'll let us in the back and hide us in the party room."

"Awesome. They have the best combo in town. And by the way, I can eat a small all by myself, so you'll just have to get your own."

Nick grinned. Both Stella and Macy weren't afraid to be real around him, and he liked that about them. Most girls he knew would have ordered a salad and a diet soda. Holding open the car door for her, he realized that he felt ridiculously happy. He wasn't sure what that meant, and he didn't feel like analyzing it. He was just going to enjoy having Macy around again.


	5. Shade

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS or Diet Coke._

_A/N: A big thank you to Loved-Invention for sending me my most challenging prompt to date (shade). I'll admit I sort of cheated a little. I think that there will be one or two more chapters to wrap this up. Thanks so much to everyone who has read and reviewed! Especially because I realized watching last night's episode that my Macy is so out-of-character._

Nick parked his car in the alley behind Romano's Pizza and leaned across Macy to open his glove box, pulling out a baseball cap and sunglasses.

Macy wrinkled her nose in confusion, "Why do you need sunglasses? It's practically dark already."

Grinning, he held up the two items and said, "Hat and shades – the standard Lucas brothers' disguise."

"You're kidding, right? Those wouldn't fool anybody." Macy grinned before continuing, "Wearing sunglasses at night just makes you look shady."

Nick groaned at the horrible pun, "I can't believe you said that."

"It was too good to pass up," Macy said shrugging. "But seriously, that's your idea of a disguise?"

"I'll have you know that this tricks six out of ten fans."

"And the other four?"

""Yeah, there's a lot of screaming and chasing involved," he admitted as he slid out of the car. "But it works with Kevin. Last time he walked right past Joe and me three times before we finally stopped him."

Giggling, Macy observed, "I think that says more about Kevin that the disguise."

"You're probably right," he agreed. "But whatever you do, don't tell Joe you think the hat and glasses are lame. It took me months to convince him this was enough. I really don't want to wear a fake mustache and a monocle every time I leave the house."

"I bet you'd look adorable," Macy assured him. Then all of a sudden her eyes went wide and she bit her lip.

"What?" Nick asked with obvious concern.

"We just had an entire discussion about JONAS, and I didn't faint, squeal or hurt anyone!"

Before he could respond, the back door of the restaurant opened, revealing the owner. "Macy Misa!" the large Italian man exclaimed. "Come give me a hug!"

Nick looked confused as his petite friend was engulfed in a giant bear hug. Mr. Romano glanced over at the singer and added, "Good to see you too, Nicholas."

"So I take it you two know each other," Nick said wryly.

Mr. Romano nodded, one arm still around Macy's shoulder. "I think Macy's been on every team this place has ever sponsored. "The usual, Mace?"

"Yes, please."

After the two teens got settled in the back room, Nick spoke up in a teasing voice, "I'm a little jealous that Mr. Romano likes you better than me."

"Probably because I usually use the front door," she joked.

"Or cause you're prettier than I am."

"I don't know about that."

Nick looked at her sparkling brown eyes, her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink and her adorable upturned nose before saying sincerely, "You're definitely prettier than I am."

An awkward silence descended on the room, neither of them sure what to say next. Nick couldn't figure out what was going on. Why did looking at Macy cause his heart to speed up? And why did this suddenly feel like a date?

"Here you go – one Diet Coke and one water."

"Thank you, Mr. Romano," Nick said gratefully.

"You're welcome, Nicholas," the owner said, patting him on the head. "How's volleyball going this year, Macy?"

"Undefeated so far," she said smiling up at him.

"Not surprising with you on the team. Your pizza should be ready in a few minutes," he said as he hurried out of the room.

"Undefeated, huh?" Nick asked. "That's impressive. When's your next game?"

"Tomorrow night at school," she replied, sipping her ice water.

"When?"

"Five-thirty. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that since you came and saw me in action, I should return the favor."

"You don't need to do that," Macy insisted. "My volleyball game isn't nearly as interesting as a JONAS concert."

"Maybe not to you, but I've been to tons of JONAS concerts. I've never been to one of Macy's volleyball games."

She smiled at him. "On the plus side, you don't have to wait in line all night to get into my game."

"No?"

"You can pretty much arrive a few seconds before the first whistle and still have a front row seat," she said before wrinkling her nose in concern. "Are you sure it's safe? I know visiting teams are the worse for you guys."

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out."

"Thanks Nick. It means a lot to me that you would want to come watch me play."

When he saw Macy's shy smile, he knew that he would brave a horde of screaming fan girls in order to not disappoint her. If he couldn't get their bodyguard to come with him, he would just hope no one noticed him at the game. Maybe if he got there early and sat way in the back, he could just blend in.

He also realized he was in deep trouble because somewhere along the line, he had fallen for her. There was no other explanation for the way that his stomach fluttered when she smiled at him, or how happy he felt just sitting in the back room of a pizza parlor talking to her. She was sweet and funny and cute and just a little bit kooky (but between Joe and Kevin he was used to that).

This wasn't like one of his usual crushes, and he had no idea what to do.


	6. Happiness

_Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS._

_A/N: First, thank to cr8vgrl for the prompt for this chapter – happiness. Second, don't hate me – there is still one more chapter until it is all resolved. And I know the chapters have been really short; for some reason I can only write one scene at a time. BUT I will try very hard to write the next one today because I leave for vacation for a week tomorrow. And you are all such lovely readers that I would hate to leave you hanging like that. Seriously, I'm so grateful for all the feedback, and I apologize that I have been late with the review replies._

Nick arrived at the gymnasium early, hoping to get a chance to see Macy before the game began. After dropping her off the night before, he had spent most of the evening trying to figure out what to do next. He knew he liked her and being around her made him happy, but he wasn't sure if he should ask her out or just hang out with her as friends. Everything was so new and complicated, and he couldn't seem to make a decision, which was unlike him; he usually had a plan and knew exactly what he wanted. He was hoping that seeing her would help clear things up.

The team was just starting to warm up when he got there, and he smiled as he watched her bound across the court to greet him.

"You came!" She exclaimed.

"Of course I came. I told you I was coming, didn't I?"

"I know but I thought maybe…" she stopped before grinning even wider. "You came."

Nick decided that it was pointless to argue with her, so instead he just nodded. "So where should I sit?"

Macy turned and pointed to the far side of the gym, "That's where the home crowd sits. I like watching volleyball from up high in the middle so I can see the entire court, but in your case, I'd go about halfway up and sit on the end."

"Why only halfway up?"

"If things turn sticky, you can jump off the side of the bleachers and sprint for the door. If you're up too high, you might hurt yourself. They gym floor's pretty hard."

Nick chuckled, touched that she had thought it through for him. "Sounds good."

"Misa!" The coach barked. "Stop flirting and get back over here!"

Macy winced, blushing a little as she yelled back, "Sorry, coach." Addressing Nick, she added, "Sorry about that."

"No problem. I never mind when someone thinks a pretty girl is flirting with me." Macy's face turned a darker shade of red at his comment. "Good luck – I'll see you after the game."

Recovering from her embarrassment, she said, "Unless you get chased off by crazy fans."

Nick shook his head. "I'll see you after the game either way."

Macy bit her lit, her eyes sparkling at his response. They stood staring at each other for a moment, before he gestured towards the rest of the team. "You'd better go. I don't want to get you in trouble."

Nick climbed up into the bleachers and sat down to enjoy the game. He had always thought that Stella had to be exaggerating when she gushed about what a great athlete Macy was, but it turned out that if anything, she had held back. Macy was truly amazing on the court. He was so caught up in watching her that he missed the first signs of trouble. I wasn't until the screaming girls had already crossed the gym and were heading up the bleachers that he noticed the approaching threat. He froze, seriously considering leaping off the side of the bleachers.

And then he heard the whistle.

It wasn't like the short sound the referee used; this was a loud, long whistle that echoed across the room. He looked down on the floor and saw Macy, a whistle in her mouth and a ball resting on her hip. Once she was sure she had everyone's attention, she narrowed her eyes and addressed the crowd of girls.

"Don't even think about it," she said menacingly. "He's trying to watch the match, so go back to your seats and leave him alone."

Macy wasn't large or intimating normally, but everyone in the room had seen what she could do with that volleyball and no one wanted to risk being the one she aimed it at. The girls all looked longingly at Nick, but they didn't move any closer to him. Then the visiting school's coach crossed the gym, barking at the students to get back in their seats, and the combination of Macy and an authority figure was enough to put a stop to the growing mob.

Nick was pretty sure he looked like a love-sick fool as he grinned down at Macy, but he honestly didn't care. He couldn't believe she had just taken on a crowd of fan girls for him. He was feeling so euphoric that he called out, "I'd be happy to sign autographs after the match."

The resulting squeals were almost deafening, but he was too busy watching Macy to notice.

He knew the whole 'friends' thing wasn't going to work for him; now he had to work up the courage to ask her out.


	7. Why Indeed

_Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS or the Ford Mustang or Mini Cooper._

_A/N: So this is the last chapter of the story, so all of the previous prompts are making a special appearance. I wrote this VERY quickly in order to finish it up before going on vacation, and the end is incredibly cheesy. I hope you like it anyway. Thanks for being such an amazing group of readers!_

There hadn't been that many girls at the volleyball game, so he had expected to get through the autographs fairly quickly. Nick hadn't counted on them all texting their friends. He had been sitting signing autographs and posing for photos for almost an hour with no sign of Macy. He was afraid maybe she had forgotten about him.

Smiling for another camera phone, he finally saw her coming towards him. She grinned at him before climbing up on the table.

After blowing a whistle for attention, she shouted. "See that game clock on the scoreboard? I'm setting it for fifteen minutes. When the clock runs down, he's done signing autographs." She glanced down at the girls in the front of the line. "I'd suggest not being too chatty because I would imagine the girls in the back are not going to be happy if you take up all their time."

Reaching up, he offered her a hand to help her down. Before he let go, he leaned in and whispered, "You're the best. Thanks for rescuing me again."

She smiled at him. "You're welcome. How about giving me your car keys? I'll have one of my teammates bring your car around back so you can make a quick getaway."

"Sounds good," he said, giving her his keys. "Just don't forget to set the timer."

Fourteen minutes later, Macy was back standing next to him. As soon as the buzzer sounded, she grabbed his hand and began to run for the side door. Pulling him behind a tree, they watched as a group of girls burst through the door, running towards Nick's car. He stood starring in horror as his car pulled away.

"Macy, someone is stealing my car!"

"Relax, Nick," she said laughing. "It's all part of the plan. While we were getting your car, we realized that lots of people recognize the Mustang."

"That wouldn't have anything to do with a certain fan site featuring 'the cars of JONAS' by any chance?" he asked wryly.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Macy said apologetically. "Anyway, I called your house. One of my teammates is driving your car home, and your mom is going to let her into the garage."

"How am I getting home?"

She gestured towards a Mini Cooper parked in the shade. "We can take my car."

After checking to make sure the coast was clear, they both sprinted to Macy's car. As they pulled out of the school, she grinned and said, "I told them we'd drive around for a few minutes to give everything time to settle down before I take you home."

Nick gulped. This was the perfect opportunity; all he had to do was ask if she wanted to do something. "What if -" his voice came out high and squeaky. He cleared his throat before trying again. "What if we go do something instead?" He was pretty sure that was a little too vague. Mustering up his courage he added, "Like a date."

Nick recognized his error immediately as the car swerved to the side, almost hitting a mailbox. He probably should have waited until a stop sign to spring that on her.

Macy threw the car into park before turning and asking, "What did you just say?

"I asked if you wanted to go on a date with me."

"Why?" She asked incredulously. "Is this because I saved you from those fan girls? Cause it was no big deal. I don't want you to feel like you owe me or anything. I mean, really, a simple thank you would be…"

Nick cut her off by leaning across the handbreak to kiss her. At first her eyes went wide as she sat frozen, but then she let out an adorable sigh and began to kiss back, sliding her hands up into his curls. He had no idea how long they sat in the car kissing before they finally broke apart. He could see a flurry of emotions flicker across her face – joy, confusion, doubt.

"Why?" She whispered.

"I like you."

"Why?"

He reached out and took hold of her hand, bringing it up so he could place a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Cause you would stand in line to buy tickets for a show to protect our friendship. And fight off a mob of crazy fan girls for me." When he noticed that she wouldn't make eye contact with him, he let go of her hand and placed a finger under her chin, lifting her face so he could see her eyes. "Plus, you're beautiful and funny. And being with you makes me happy."

She smiled shyly at him, obviously still afraid to believe that this was really happening. Looking him straight in the eye, she reached up and pinched herself on the arm.

"Ouch!"

"Macy! What did you do that for?"

"Just making sure I was awake."

He chuckled, "I promise this is real. So will you go out with me?"

She grinned before saying, "Do you think you could use one of your cheesy pick up lines on me first?"

"Seriously?"

"No, I was joking," she said with a giggle before leaning in and kissing him.

When they pulled apart, Nick looked her in the eyes and said with a straight face, "Are you an angel? Cause I think I'm in heaven."


End file.
